Laura Van Wormer

"I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at 1:15 on 11-11-55, something that always makes numerologists look at me twice.  As I understand it, all those ones and fives mean I want to run everything while at the same time  want to be free of everything--which of course is the perfect job description for a novelist."

"My family moved to Darien, Connecticut when I was ten months old.  I was blessed with unbelievably talented teachers so I learned a great deal whether I was paying attention or not.  My mother died when I was 11 and it really just nearly destroyed me.  But my father remarried a wonderful woman, who was a widow, who raised me as her own, and I also gained a stepbrother and stepsister, with whom I am very close.  A common theme in my novels is how family is a matter of the heart."

"Talk about sweeping change!  From sunbathing at U of A to wading through waist-high snow in Syracuse!  I adored everything about the Newhouse School at SU, though, and everything I learned there has served me very well. The gorgeous weather in Tucson made it so conducive to going out and socializing, while at SU it always seemed like we were trapped inside waiting for the weather to change,  The latter setting, as you can imagine, was much more conducive to studying.

I always wanted to be a novelist. I knew in high school that I was in no way imaginable a literary writer. My strong suit was storytelling. So in college I thought maybe I should try to write for TV. Or go into advertising. Or maybe get a job at a publishing house. Or maybe a literary agency. The only thing I knew for sure is I HAD to work at something connected to creative writing. My mother gave me some sound advice: "Good typing and good manners will get you wherever you want to go, dear."

"After graduating I sat down with the want ads in the Sunday Times and circled all the TV, book publishing and advertising ads.  Then I called the employment agency in Manhattan that had listed the most jobs and I was told to come in to see a lady named Sydelle, but that I would have to pass a typing test first. I thought I did okay on it but Sydelle said there was a lot of room for improvement. She liked the way I spoke and carried myself, though, and commended me on having good manners.

Sydelle told me the Editor-in-Chief of Doubleday was looking for a secretary but she wouldn't send me over unless I first got a job offer from J. Walter Thompson.  So I interviewed  there and got a job offer. Sydelle then made me practice the Doubleday typing test over and over.  When I was later  finally brought in to meet Stewart Richardson at Doubleday, he said, 'I see you did well on our typing test,' and I burst out laughing and confessed to the agency cheat sheet. He said I was hired."

"The editorial talent at Doubleday was staggering: Sally Arteseros, Loretta Barrett, Walter Bradbury, Lisa Drew, Ferris Mack, Kate Medina, Ken McCormick, Jackie Onassis, Betty Prashker, Sandy Richardson, Sam Vaughan.  Good grief, the business manager for the trade group when I started there was no less than Maureen Mahon Egen, future Publisher and Deputy Chairman of Hachette!" 

"I worked my way up from secretary to associate editor and felt honored to  to work with some amazing writers.  Because of my Newhouse background I became a go-to person at Doubleday on entertainment related books.  One day in 1983 I found myself f being flown out to LA by 20th Century Fox to come up with some kind of DYNASTY book with the co-creator of the show, Esther Shapiro."

Shortly after DYNASTY was published, Lorimar Studios--producer of the rival TV show DALLAS--wanted to know who had written DYNASTY because there was no author listed.  'A young editor of ours put it together,' Loretta Barrett explained, 'Well,' the studio said, 'can we hire her to write a DALLAS book?'  'Not if she is an editor here,' Loretta said. 'But let me look into it.'"

"As Loretta found out, I wanted to write a novel in the worst way and had been trying to figure out a way to support myself while I learned how to write one.  This project seemed ideal.  I gave notice to Doubleday and signed a contract with Lorimar to write DALLAS, which led, in turn, to a brief tour as The Official Dallas Historian and creating a board game.  After that came KNOTS LANDING and then I knew it was now or never, I had to finish that first novel.  Happily, I did.

Publisher's Weekly: "Van Wormer's ... realistic characters and situations, combined with occasional blasts of sensationalized sex, will keep her readers turning the pages."  Literary Guild Main Selection; Alternate Selection Doubleday Book Club.  Optioned for TV.  British, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Israeli, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish editions.

All the RIVERSIDE DRIVE characters appear in RIVERSIDE PARK.  Alexandra Waring and Cassy Cochran are also in WEST END, ANY GIVEN MOMENT, TALK, EXPOSE, THE LAST LOVER, TROUBLE BECOMES HER, THE BAD WITNESS, THE KILL FEE, and MR. MURDER.

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Harper's Bazaar: “Alexandra Waring has the well-bred good looks of Diane Sawyer, the sharp mind of Connie Chung, the cool professionalism of Mary Alice Williams—and the off-screen traumas of the late Jessica Savitch.”    Book-of-the-Month Club Featured Alternate. Optioned for TV.  Czech, Dutch, French, Italian, Polish, UK editions.

Jessica Wright also appears in ANY GIVEN MOMENT. TALK,  EXPOSÉ, THE LAST LOVER, TROUBLE BECOMES HER, THE BAD WITNESS, THE KILL FEE, MR. MURDER AND RIVERSIDE PARK.  Jackson Darenbrook also appears in  EXPOSÉ and RIVERSIDE PARK.

Kirkus Reviews: "Wise about the TV and book publishing fields, funny and sexy by turns, with an extremely elastic sense of the human heart."  Condensation in Good Housekeeping, Literary Guild Alternate, Brilliance Audio, Japan

Kate Weston also appears in RIVERSIDE PARK.

PW: "Libby is at first intrigued by fellow juror Alex... despite his "Marlboro Man" looks and pointed attentions, however, there is something off... She eventually finds herself drawn to the unassuming William, an investment banker with a heart of gold. As the trial heats up, so does Libby and William's relationship; similarly, juror Melissa, a recovering alcoholic, begins to come to terms with her attraction to a female client...Readers will stay up late to devour the novel's final pages." 

Czech, Dutch, French, German,Italian,  Polish, UK editions.

PW "As spies infiltrate both camps, and the air bristles with sexual complications, an intricate tale of publishing chicanery unfolds. Malice and deceit lie at the heart of this savvy, occasionally salacious saga,"  Czech, Dutch, Italian, French, German, Polish, UK editions.

Georgiana Hamilton-Ayres reappears in TALK, THE BAD WITNESS and RIVERSIDE PARK,

"Van Wormer's latest romantic thriller," Booklist wrote, "features characters from her earlier works, Riverside Drive and West End, and has enough intrigue, drama, and tangled relationships to give Jerry Springer pause. This hot summer read will appeal to fans of Joy Fielding and Nora Roberts"   Czech, Dutch, French, Polish, UK editions.

"Van Wormer's latest romantic thriller," Booklist wrote, "features characters from her earlier works, Riverside Drive and West End, and has enough intrigue, drama, and tangled relationships to give Jerry Springer pause. This hot summer read will appeal to fans of Joy Fielding and Nora Roberts"   Czech, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Polish, UK editions.

"Van Wormer has the glamorama Hamptons scene down to a T; the real-life celebrities and loosely veiled characters (a Barbara Streisandlike diva, a Donna Karanesque designer, etc.) that fill up the cast here make for a complicated romance/mystery as voyeuristic as it is fun... like reading the juiciest ‘People’ magazine possible, with an engrossing plot and a genuine flow of suspense.”  Kirkus  Czech, Dutch, French, Italian, Polish, UK editions.

Wendy Mitchell is a walk-on at DBS in the Sally Harrington mysteries.

“An appealing heroine,” wrote PW, “ends up playing Nancy Drew in a dangerous mystery connected to her family's past." “Romance, murder, and the inside dope on big-time article writing and TV journalism,” summarized Kirkus. “A surprising climax awaits." As Sally unravels the mystery in her hometown, negotiates high-society in New York, and tries to straighten out her love life, she maintains her enthusiasm and good-natured outlook."

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year

Cassy Cochran and Alexandra Waring are back.

“Full of unexpected plot twists and likable characters,” writes Booklist. “This follow-up to Exposé is an enjoyable, fast-paced mystery full of sex, murder, and Mafia intrigue."  Czech, French, German, Italian, Polish, UK editions

Everyone from THE LAST LOVER is back.  Plus DBS staff.

PW writers, "Van Wormer combines Manhattan chic with Godfather menace and Hollywood glitz to create an exotic playing field on which Sally is completely at home. Add a dozen or so well-drawn characters to the mix including the aging head of the Presario clan, a movie star looking for love, a mysterious federal agent and a starstruck college intern and things never get dull. This is a satisfying page-turner."   Czech, French, German, Italian, Polish, UK editions

The Presario clan is back and so is DBS and Castleford.

"Sally is a headstrong, risk-taking, sexy woman who thrives on fast action, danger and press attention."  PW

The Presarios, DBS, Castleford

"Although the book relies heavily on repackaged cliches of the American dream of wealth, prestige and fabulousness," Publisher's Weekly writes, "Van Wormer supplies genuinely suspenseful moments, tasteful, deftly written love scenes and an ending that packs an emotional punch."

Paul Fitzwilliam, DBS

PW: "Those seeking a deliciously gossipy insider look into the broadcasting world won't be disappointed. As a just-promoted news anchor, Sally spends most of the book chasing sponsors, not crooks, but this less cutthroat pursuit is plotted with Van Wormer's customary self-deprecating humor, eye for glamour and attention to convincing detail."

Paul Fitzwilliam, David Waring, DBS, Castleford

"The sequel to RIVERSIDE DRIVE is an enjoyable relationship drama" writes Mainstream Fiction. 

Everyone from RIVERSIDE DRIVE, DBS, Sally Harrington.

Because she destroyed her correspondence, I’ve needed to research the hundreds of people who passed through her life to find traces of her in their papers. Piecing together this incredible story has unfolded over 30 years and at long last, I am deep into writing it.  There has been so much misinformation published about her, it will be a pleasure to set the historical record straight.

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